[Moncton] Downtown Developments

[David_99]

It's going to be a very nice building, but it's beauty will be somewhat lessened by being stuck behind those power lines. Yeesh. I know it's not a priority, but is there any way they can clean them up a little?

[in-city]

Originally Posted by Budyser

I noticed from my Sunday morning Tim's coffee run, that the white house on St-George st. in the background also has a For Sale sign in front. Century 21 if I recall.

That St-George st project is pretty impressive in my opinion. Looks like the work of the same designer as the Bostford/Victoria.

It's not the same architect as the one on Victoria and Botsford but it's good to see medium density development in that area.

[josh_cat_eyes]

I found more pictures of the proposed downing street development.

[Monctoncore]

There is an ocean behind city hall in the second picture, I wonder how they plan on making that happen? maybe the city plans on picking up and moving to the coast? Jokes aside, it looks great, I can't wait for this to start and take shape!

[josh_cat_eyes]

Originally Posted by Monctoncore

There is an ocean behind city hall in the second picture, I wonder how they plan on making that happen? maybe the city plans on picking up and moving to the coast? Jokes aside, it looks great, I can't wait for this to start and take shape!

They are lazy lol. They just didn't bother to fill out the rest of the city haha. Either that or they know something about the polar ice caps that we don't, and they plan on downtown being the only thing to survive haha.

[NBNYer]

The water feature on the central median looks like it could be very nice. I see that they're not planning on extending the red brick sidewalks onto Downing. That's a good thing, and the patterns give the street a much more contemporary look. The lighting is also different and much more contemporary than the rest of downtown. The statue on the north side of the street is a nice touch as well, I wonder what historical figure could be portrayed here?

[David_99]

Originally Posted by NBNYer

The statue on the north side of the street is a nice touch as well, I wonder what historical figure could be portrayed here?

Well I can tell you it's extremely unlikely to be General Robert Monckton lol

[NBNYer]

Originally Posted by David_99

Well I can tell you it's extremely unlikely to be General Robert Monckton lol

as it should be extremely unlikely

[MonctonRad]

Well, to be fair, As far as the expulsion is concerned, Monckton was just a lowly Lt. Colonel in 1755 and was acting under the strict orders of Charles Lawrence, the governor of Nova Scotia, and had little choice in the matter. Aside from the expulsion, Monckton's military and political career was pretty exemplary.

I would agree though that the chances of a Monckton statue in the city are slim to none, and really, although the city is named for him, he never visited here and has no connection to the city. He ordered some raids up the Petitcodiac (like the Battle of the Petitcodiac (1755) - fought near present day Hillsborough), but he never actually set foot in the valley. The closest he came was when he defeated the French defenders at Fort Beausejour. A statue of Monckton in the city that bears his name is probably not necessary.

And greetings from sunny San Diego.

Don't expect any meaningful contrbutions from me this week, sorry......

[Walk then Run]

My two cents worth on the statue should be Northrop Frye. It's quite fitting with the given proximity to the Moncton Library. The only other obvious choice would be Robb Wells (Ricky - Trailer Park Boys) with those big chops and a "big one" lit up in his hands...imagine that!

But seriously, I really can't wait to see this development come to fruition as it will really start to mold the city streetscape into a more metro feel and not just a one street (Main) showcase.

[josh_cat_eyes]

Originally Posted by Walk then Run

My two cents worth on the statue should be Northrop Frye. It's quite fitting with the given proximity to the Moncton Library. The only other obvious choice would be Robb Wells (Ricky - Trailer Park Boys) with those big chops and a "big one" lit up in his hands...imagine that!

That would be hilarious!

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Walk then Run

My two cents worth on the statue should be Northrop Frye. It's quite fitting with the given proximity to the Moncton Library. The only other obvious choice would be Robb Wells (Ricky - Trailer Park Boys) with those big chops and a "big one" lit up in his hands...imagine that!

Northrup Frye - there is already a statue of him sitting on a park bench in front of the Moncton Library.

Ricky - you gotta be kidding me!

Robert Monckton - way too politically incorrect, apparently akin to erecting a statue of Hitler or Mousellini. Not going to happen.......

My Suggestions:

Ivan Cleveland Rand - a Moncton native who rose to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, sat on the International Joint Commission which oversaw the creation of the State of Israel, and who was the creator of the Rand Formula, which smoothed the creation of unions throughout the world.

Richard Bedford Bennett - the only New Brunswicker to become Prime Minister of Canada. He grew up not too far away in Hopewell Cape, and was a far greater PM than history remembers. He had the misfortune of governing during the Great Depression, but enacted many social reforms and created the CBC. He deserves a statue, as he currently does not have one - anywhere........

[riverviewer]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Richard Bedford Bennett - the only New Brunswicker to become Prime Minister of Canada. He grew up not too far away in Hopewell Cape, and was a far greater PM than history remembers. He had the misfortune of governing during the Great Depression, but enacted many social reforms and created the CBC. He deserves a statue, as he currently does not have one - anywhere........

Seconded

[MonctonRad]

One thing about a statue to R. B. Bennett, the feds might be willing to kick in to the costs of the monument. He is pretty much the only "historical" prime minister not to have a statue erected in his memory anywhere in the country.

The feds did contribute to the costs of constructing the Bennett Historical Cemtre at the Albert County Museum in Hopewell Cape. They might do the same for a statue of the man in Moncton as well......

[MonctonRad]

Two things I noted driving down Main Street today:

1) - They are doing heavy duty renovations on the Treitz Haus, both on the roof and the exterior walls.

2) - They have knocked out the front brick wall on the east side of the old CIBC Building, where the Piatto Pizzeria and Enotecta is being built. I would say they are going to put in a full two storey curtain glass feature. With the Starbucks occupying the other half of the building, this will be a pretty classy looking building…….

[MonctonRad]

In the T&T today that the old detention centre on Assumption Blvd is close to being sold, with the closing likely within the next 2-3 months.

I wonder if the Downing Street redevelopment could be factoring into this anticipated sale in some way, it's right next door.......

[josh_cat_eyes]

Anyone ever see this before?

[NBNYer]

Originally Posted by josh_cat_eyes

Anyone ever see this before?

Disastrous. This would take up decades worth of office space growth to the detriment of the core. A real downtown killer. I hope the city doesn't allow this, but I have a feeling I might be disappointed.

[BlackYear]

Originally Posted by NBNYer

Disastrous. This would take up decades worth of office space growth to the detriment of the core. A real downtown killer. I hope the city doesn't allow this, but I have a feeling I might be disappointed.

So instead of building a 20 story tower, they opt to chop it up in a mini version of silicon valley format.

[MonctonRad]

I'm pretty sure that I've seen that site plan for Emmerson Park before.

I agree that this development is not good for the core, but to be fair, Emmerson was always planned to be a "business park", and depending on how you look at it, Emmerson is arguably at least on the fringes of DT.

Personally, I think it would be best if future development in Emmerson were more of a mixed character. For example, the portion of Emmerson bordering Vaughan Harvey would be ideal for restaurants or for a hotel. This would help to reduce the footprint of the suburban office park aspect of the development, which would in turn limit the damage to the core of the downtown……...